Mastering the Art of the Ragman: A Cassette Player Course for Magic: The Gathering Old School 93/94

In five parts Seb will learn you the ins- and outs of becoming a True Rag Man. Learn from the only one Ragman that has trancended his Ragmancy with being dubbed as a Cosmic Horror!

Part 1: Introduction to the World of Ragmancy Join Seb, a seasoned six-time ragman, on a journey through the whimsical world of Magic: The Gathering Old School 93/94. Embrace the spirit of the underdog as Seb shares insights, tips, and tricks gleaned from his own experiences of consistently landing in last place. Let's turn the tables and transform your defeats into victories!

Part 2: Deckbuilding Demystified Uncover the secrets of deckbuilding with Seb's expert guidance. Learn unconventional strategies and unexpected card combinations that will leave your opponents scratching their heads. From brewing budget brews to crafting quirky concoctions, Seb will show you how to stand out in the crowd and embrace the ragman spirit with pride.

Part 3: Navigating Tournaments with Grace Tired of dropping out of tournaments early? Fear not! Seb will equip you with the knowledge and mindset needed to persevere through every round. Discover how to maintain your composure in the face of defeat, strategize effectively against formidable opponents, and emerge from each match with valuable lessons learned. Never drop from a tournament again with Seb's tried-and-true techniques.

Part 4: Embracing the Ragman Lifestyle Being a ragman isn't just about finishing last – it's about embracing the journey, fostering a sense of camaraderie, and reveling in the joy of playing the game. Join Seb as he shares heartwarming anecdotes, hilarious misplays, and memorable moments from his own ragman adventures. Learn to laugh at yourself, celebrate small victories, and cherish the friendships forged around the gaming table.

Part 5: Seb's Top Ragman Tips and Trix In this final installment, Seb shares his ultimate ragman arsenal – a treasure trove of tips, tricks, and unconventional strategies guaranteed to elevate your game. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting out, Seb's insights will revolutionize your approach to Magic: The Gathering Old School 93/94. Say goodbye to last place and hello to the thrill of the ragman lifestyle!


Join Seb on this unforgettable journey and discover the true magic of being a ragman.

Enroll in the Cassette Player Course today and embrace your inner underdog!

The Noobdlecup

Hi kids!

In the mystical realm of Magic: The Gathering, where cards hold ancient secrets and battles unfold with the flip of an orb, our journey into the arcane took an exhilarating turn on January 13, 2024. This tale unfolds in the hallowed halls of Swedish Old School Magic, where a coveted invite to Noobcon hung in the air like a well-flipped Falling Star.

Swedish Rules and Gentleman's Agreements: No Mind Twist, No Loa

In a nod to the classics, we delved into the full Swedish experience with a twist of chivalry. No Mind Twist, and certainly, no Library of Alexandria. Me (Seb), Wille and Luring had a long good ol’ chat about the specifics. Aparently, which will be shown later- my main job was to forget what we decided. The stakes were high, the cards were vintage, and the atmosphere thick with the spirit of gentlemanly duels. (Things can be said about gentleman rules should not be “decided” by the tournament organizers maybe but for some reason this is more or less standard at our Stockholm tournament nowadays)

Life Force on White and Blue: A Twist of Fate

I saw Mano playing something like this at the Stream of Life. I had forgot about Mind Twist and LoA being banned so ended up having a 13 card SB.

Picture this: Two Life Forces, one on white and one on blue, engaged in a dance of enchantments. With a Sleight of mind, the colors shifted, leaving opponents baffled and spellbound. A Circle of Protection Red served as a formidable shield against the fiery onslaught of Forks' LDB deck. Meanwhile, a cunning opponent sat with my Spirit Link on his Dib. Oh, the tales woven with each draw and counterplay! And then I lost the two other games …

Epic Hangs and Culinary Conjurations:

The local bar Sorbon where a few beers and some food where had.

Beyond the battlefield, the hang was as legendary as the duels. The venue, already tested in the crucible of a tournament late last year, welcomed us with open arms. Noodles flowed like mana, providing sustenance for spell-weary players. The local pub, a prelude to the finals, became a cherished tradition, offering an exquisite craft beer menu and delectable delights. As Gordons' 93/94 playlist played in the background, our gathering felt like a symphony of camaraderie.

4. The Decks: Time Vaults, Field of Dreams, and Angelic Assemblies

Seen here: The joy of patiently waiting for the first round to kick off.

Amidst the shuffle of cards, a panorama of decks unfolded. Veen's aggressive Time Vault strategy added a touch of speed to the arcane battles. Gordon's Field of Dreams deck beckoned players to explore the ethereal reaches of their libraries. LDB, masterfully wielded by Thai and Fork, clashed with a chorus of angels and nimble green and blue fliers. The variety mirrored the unpredictable dance of chaos and strategy that defines the heart of Magic.

In a cosmic twist, the last finalists battled for the dubious honor of a Rag Man in this tournament – a whimsical reminder of how the Magic gods play with fate.

The winner of the invite, Micke Thai, being cheered and envied.

As the final shuffles echoed in the air, we left the battlefield with memories etched in our spellbooks. Until the next gathering, may your draws be swift, your spells cunning, and may your journey through the multiverse be filled with tales as enchanting as a well-cast spell.

Taxes taxes taxes at Kafferep

The Cursed Artifact cake is a crucial part of the tournaments “Swedish fika” that is the namesake of Kafferep (the name hails from 18th century when women were not allowed in coffee houses and had their own “Kafferep” at home instead). Coffee and fika (cakes and sweet things) is like a religion in Sweden.

It’s a tradition to take a proper picture when you earn a Rag Man. You can find Sebs other Ram Man pics here.

So I won a Rag Man once again! It’s my fifth one. I am not even trying. Last time around I became a Cosmic Horror due to it being my fourth one. My second one is a “The Fallen” but then the “BSK” old school event claimed it so we went back to Rag Men. It’s a bit of a participation Trophy that says "well, at least you tried”. It seems I have been trying a while now and I wonder what the future Rag Mans have in store for me…

What horrific creature would Rag Man number six be!?

The tournament, is just a small recurring thing “Paddan” got going a few years back. I actually won it last year. I tend to try to brew something spicy and that might be why I keep Rag Manning. Last years brew “Voodoo Geist” consisted of Xentrid Poltergeists animating Mines and picking off Moxen in a Parfait shell. I did not get the pet card “Voodoo Doll” in time for the tournament though. But there are many fun synergies going on: animating and attacking with a Howling Mine, animating an opponents tapped 0> cmc artifact and killing it off with Royal Assassin. I got to Maze of Ith, untapping an animated Winter Orb end of combat also.

I started tinkering with Voodoo Doll and how to make use of it and trying to avoid the downside of having to activate it each turn not to take damage yourself. You have your Relic Barriers as a backup I guess. It’s mostly cute but since it is where I started I kept it in the deck name. The parfait shell is great in so many different color combinations and I keep going back to it.

Sebs winning deck “Voodoo Geist” from Kafferep 2022.

This year I started off with making GW work in some capacity. I have always loved the card Gaea’s Touch and tried fitting it in many different brews. This time around I tried accompany it with Land Tax. Land Tax get you going with all those basic forests you need to make use of it. Pumping out a few Gaea’s Touch also let you sit and wait for your opponent to either let you tax or when you go off the tax you get to put in multiple lands, hopefully getting you ahead a bit. The problem is that you can’t splash other powerful stuff. The main goal of the deck is to draw cards with Sylvan getting some help from Ivory Towers. Then Ifh-Bíff Efreet with a Spirit Link or you having enough life gained let you pull the Hurricane trigger. Swosh!

Sebs “Hurricane Control” earning him a Rag Man at Kafferep 2023

I actually made the January ODOL finals with another Tax deck. It’s way better of course. I started brewing it when I got my second Moat and asked Åland what decks usually make use of two Moats. He sent this Tax Control version he build 2020 (you can see the decklist to the right). It was my baseline for getting the correct mana base that could work for my build. I won’t linger too long on it, it’s basicly The Deck with Land tax and Blood Moons in the SB. Sorry for the bad deck pic btw, was too dark when I took the pic...

Sebs “Pink Taxes”, 2nd Place ODOL January 2023

This is why we love Old School. Just look at that stack! Anti-Magic Aura on the Control Magic under the Djinn.

I’ll end this little blog post with Martin Berlins winning deck! I’ll be sure to test it myself in the future. Berlin has allways been a great Brewer and player and this was his third Kafferep win! Me Myself will have to go back to the drawing board and reset for next year. That’s all kids! Keep on brewin’ in the free world.

Martin Berlins RUG deck 1st place Kafferep 2023

The happy winner Martin Berlin with the winner card Cursed Artifact and a glass of swedish Punsch in his hands.

Slanfan, the runner up of Kafferep 2023 teching some Black Ward against Abyss. His deck consisted of Angels, Eggs and Vampires.

The organizer Paddan contemplating his life choices playing UW control or as Berlin put it: “Spelar du en klassisk blåhora Paddan!?” (will prob be lost in translation so I wont give it a try)

LOST STUFF - Help out a community friend!

Sadly, we got the news that Joen Erik lost his bag with his old school deck on the train home from Uthden Troll Cup. On November 7 It was missing when J.E arrived at schiphol, and he had it at Amersfoort, so it's most likely at one of the stations before schiphol, like Amsterdam Zuid. If you have any information or if you see any of the content below being sold, please reach out to:

kobbelhuus(at)gmail.com

There is a finders fee!

Here is also a spreadsheet with donation info if you want to help out!

This is how the bag looks like.

So the description of the contents is as follows:

1 black ultimate guard quadrow binder with assorted OS cards, the first pages contain nonbasic lands, with the Urza lands first. Thereafter come the artifacts, gold, black, blue, green, red and then white cards.

1 black ultimate guard boulder 80 deck box with and Adun Oakenshield Brawl deck

1 red ultimate guard boulder 80 deck box with sleeves, buttons and stickers on the inside

1 white ultimate guard boulder 80 deck box which contains assorted SWE legal basics, starting with 10+ beta swamps

1 blue ultimate guard deck box, the one for 80 cards with a dice holder. It is decked out with assorted stickers from the old school community and contains my os deck with 4 pieces of power, duals, LoA, Guardian Beast etc.

Nonmagic stuff:

Clothes

Toiletries

BMW car key fob

House keys

1 blue Fjällräven backpack

In addition to this it is all in a black nylon Unit Portables overnight bag. There's also an Iron Maiden Live After Death playmat in there

Unique altered Mind Twist

Photo of card boxes

(left) Joen Erik playing his deck with playmat and pictures in a different angle of the card boxes.

And some of the pictures of the cards and decks that are in the card boxes…